The MCU Movie Challenge 2019

[BeastieRunner]

Using a combination of Titan's, “Marvel Studios: The First 10 Years” ScreenRant’s, “Marvel Movie Timeline: A Complete History Of The MCU” and the films themselves as sources, I am watching one Marvel Cinematic Universe movie a day till the release of their 22nd film, “Avengers: Endgame.” Normally, I’m a release order type person but I thought I’d try something different. I will watch in the chronological order. I will also be posting a day behind so I have time to write my thoughts on each movie. Feel free to join in and watch in any order you like, even it it's well after Endgame's release.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

DAY ONE

1941-2011: Captain America: The First Avenger


Summary: It is 1941 and the world is in the throes of war. Steve Rogers wants to do his part like his best friend Bucky Barnes and join the army, but the military rejects him repeatedly due to his size. Finally, Steve gets his chance when he is accepted into an experimental program that turns him into a super soldier called Captain America. His strong heart and intelligence push him to the top of the talent pool for having the characteristics to be a good man. Joining forces with Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and the Howling Commandos, Captain America leads the fight against the Nazi-backed Hydra organization led by the evil Red Skull. Thwarting Red Skull’s plan to use the exotic energy source, the Tesseract (later revealed to be the Space Stone, one of the six universal singularities called the Infinity Stones), to rule the world seemingly costs Captain America his life. He is later found frozen and alive in 2011, where he meets SHIELD Agent Nick Fury and joins his Avengers initiative.

Favorite Moment: When Steve uses his brain to take the flag down off the pole.

Notable Events That Happened Around The Movie: There’s a lot of ground to cover here but some important events include Hydra still sending sacrifices through the Monolith prior to allying with the Nazis, the Hand and the Chaste were still waging war over K’un Lun, the Asgardian warrior Thor was becoming a legend on Earth, and Howard Stark discovers vibranium.

Fun Film Fact: Wilson Bethel was originally cast and fitted for the Captain America costume. Before he was about to sign on for the multi-movie deal, Chris Evans finally agreed to play the part after saying no the previous 3 times. Bethel would later return to the MCU to play Bullseye in Netflix’s, “Daredevil.”

[BeastieRunner]

DAY TWO

1995: Captain Marvel


Summary: Vers is an amnesiac extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between the Kree and the Skrulls. Her commander Yon-Rogg focuses on inhibiting and controlling Vers’ powers and memories with the help of the collective Kree worldmind, the Supreme Intelligence. Crashing on Earth in 1995 after being briefly captured by the Skrulls, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as the US Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Maria & Monica Rambeau, and the Skrull Talos, Captain Marvel uncovers the secrets of her past in order to harness her full powers to stop the cleansing of Earth by Ronan the Accuser and prevent Yon-Rogg’s team from gaining the weapon that helped birth her powers.

Favorite Moment: When Yon-Rogg challenges a fully powered Carol to a fight shortly after she turns back the Accuser fleet single handily to finally prove herself, she blasts Rogg stating, “I don’t have to prove myself to anybody.”

Notable Events That Happened Around The Movie: Yondu abducts Ego’s son Peter Quill from Earth, Prince N'Jobu betrays King T'Chaka by selling vibranium to Klaue, Thanos destroys Gamora’s homeworld and begins training her as a Daughter of Thanos, Tony Stark’s parents die in an apparent car crash, Black Widow completed the Red Room program & is later brought to SHIELD by Hawkeye, Matt Murdock gains his abilities in an accident at the age of 9, Jessica Jones is adopted by her best-friend’s mom shortly after gaining her powers in an experiment to save her life, and a young Ghost is exposed to Quantum energy that renders her intangible & in constant pain.

Fun Film Fact: The security guard Captain Marvel speaks to at the Blockbuster store is the Marvel lot security director Barry Curtis.

[BeastieRunner]

DAY THREE

2010: Iron Man


Summary: Billionaire playboy, tech pioneer, industrialist, genius inventor, and weapons manufacturer Tony Stark ends up being abducted during an assassination attempt while conducting weapons tests overseas. Stark is mortally wounded by shrapnel but a renowned surgeon saves his life by building an electromagnet inside his chest. Tony builds a miniaturized Arc Reactor to power the magnet. The terrorist organization the 10 Rings then force him to build a devastating new weapons system. Instead, Stark builds an armored suit to escape from his captors, powered by the Arc Reactor in his chest. Returning to America, Stark refines the suit, uses it to combat crime & terrorism, and stops longtime rival/partner Obadiah Stane from using his stolen Iron Monger suit as a weapon to unbalance world powers.

Favorite Moment: It’s a toss up between the test of the flight stabilizers at 10% power and the final line of the movie.

Notable Events That Happened Around The Movie: The Pride is formed, the Hulk is created, Prince T’Challa becomes the new Black Panther, SHIELD greenlights both the Triskellion and the Avengers Initiative, the Inhumans begin a new phase of Terrigenesis, Fury begins work on Project TAHITI, and Ivan Vanko begins work on his first Arc Reactor after finding out his father co-created the tech with Howard Stark.

Fun Film Fact: This is the last film special effects guru Stan Winston completed before his death.

[BeastieRunner]

DAY FOUR

2011: Iron Man 2 (Fury’s Big Week Part 1)


Summary: With the world now aware that he is Iron Man, billionaire weapons inventor turned philanthropist and super hero, Tony Stark faces pressure from all sides to share his technology with the military. He is reluctant to divulge the secrets of his armored suit, fearing the information will fall into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko has created his first Arc Reactor and exosuit to confront Tony. With the world now reeling that other people with powered suits exist, the pressure for Tony to turn his tech over mounts. Combined with the fact that he is also dying from exposure to the chest piece that keeps him alive, Tony turns to his old vices to cope. With Pepper Potts as CEO of Stark Enterprises and Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes dawning the War Machine armor to try to help Tony forge new alliances with SHIELD and the double agent Black Widow, Stark tries to finish a new power source that will save his life. With the new vibranium powered suit, War Machine, and Black Widow, Tony confronts the powerful combined front of Ivan Vanko and wannabe weapons industrialist Justin Hammer’s newly upgraded Hammer Drones.

Favorite Moment: Seeing the Silver Centurion armor on screen when it came out of the suitcase. That was the Iron Man suit I grew up with and made me feel like a kid reading comics in my sister’s bedroom. Plus, it was a cool suiting up sequence.

Notable Events That Happened Around The Movie: SHIELD successfully recovers and revives Steve Rogers, Fury has his first breakthrough using the recovered Kree tech from the events of “Captain Marvel” & moves Project TAHITI ahead, and Stark begins consulting with SHIELD on a full-time basis.

Fun Film Fact(s): Ivan Vanko’s character is an amalgamation of the Iron Man villains Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo. This movie is also part of the trilogy, “Fury’s Big Week” that ties Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, & Thor together as happening simultaneously and intersecting at different times throughout the three films.

[BeastieRunner]

DAY FIVE

2011: The Incredible Hulk (Fury’s Big Week Part 2)


Summary: Scientist Bruce Banner is desperately seeking a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells during a super soldier experiment gone wrong. The result was it turned him into the giant rage monster, the Hulk, whenever he is angry or stressed out. Cut off from his true love and fellow scientist Betty Ross, Bruce is forced to go on the run from his nemesis, General Thunderbolt Ross. Banner soon comes face-to-face with a new threat, the supremely powerful enemy known as the Abomination created by the latest super solider experiment by General Thunderbolt.

Favorite Moment: “HULK SMASH!”

Notable Events That Happened Around The Movie: Banner flees Canada for Calcutta, Banner learns to control the changes after an attempted suicide, and the Abomination is transferred to SHIELD.

Fun Film Fact(s): After the Hulk appears at Culver University, two students are interviewed in the news, named Jack McGee and Jim Wilson. Jack McGee was a tabloid reporter who attempted to track down the Hulk in the 1970s Incredible Hulk television series. Jim Wilson was a young orphan who befriended the Hulk in the comics. This movie is also part of the trilogy, “Fury’s Big Week” that ties Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, & Thor together as happening simultaneously and intersecting at different times throughout the three films.

[BeastieRunner]

DAY SIX

2011: Thor (Fury’s Big Week Part 3)


Summary: As the son of Odin, king of the Norse gods, Thor will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father. However, on the day that he is to be crowned, Thor reacts with brutality when the Asgardian enemies, the Frost Giants, enter the palace in violation of their treaty. As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth and enchants Mjölnir to grant the powers of Thor to whomever is worthy. While Loki, Thor's brother, plots mischief in Asgard, Thor, now stripped of his powers, faces his greatest threat, Loki using the Destroyer on Earth.

Favorite Moment: Sif and the Warriors Three coming to Thor’s aid.

Notable Events That Happened Around The Movie: In response to the New Mexico incident, Fury ramps up testing & production of Tesseract-powered weapons, Thanos takes notice of Earth & rescues Loki to make him his agent, and Thanos gifts Loki the Mind Stone housed in a spectre-like control mechanism to control his first wave forces, the Chitauri.

Fun Film Fact(s): The final choice for the role of Thor came down to brothers Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth. This movie is also part of the trilogy, “Fury’s Big Week” that ties Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, & Thor together as happening simultaneously and intersecting at different times throughout the three films.